Co-production involves researchers and people with mental health lived experience working together, addressing questions of community relevance. While co-production is underpinned by the tenet that...

Introduction: It is theorized that occupational therapy practice is underpinned by the construct of occupational engagement, with a focus on examining the subjective meaning of occupation. The theoretical definition of occupational engagement presents significant challenges to its use, evaluation, and measurement within evidence-based contemporary occupational therapy practice. Method: A scoping review was conducted to examine how occupational engagement is defined within occupational therapy literature and how occupational engagement is evaluated. Results: Twenty-six journal articles were identified. Definitions were fragmented and inconsistent across studies. Key themes relating to definitions of occupational engagement included active involvement in occupation, finding value and meaning, balanced engagement, subjective experience of engagement, developing identity through occupation, and social and environmental interactions. Measures seeking to understand occupational engagement were varied across studies, with a consistent measure applied only in the area of mental health. Conclusion: The lack of consistency in definitions and measurement of occupational engagement presents significant issues for occupational therapy practice and evaluation. There is a need for a common definition of occupational engagement to be applied in the literature. Outcome measures seeking to understand occupational engagement are also required; however, these rely on a clearly defined construct.

Caregivers of children with neurodiverse needs are known to experience challenges and hardship due to the increased needs of the child and the lack of support available. This study aimed to explore the support needs and well-being of caregivers of children with neurodiverse needs in Australia. Sixty-six caregivers participated in an online survey asking questions about support needs. The results highlighted five main themes that caregivers commonly experienced including: barriers to community engagement, impact on close relationships, negative impact on mental health and identity, financial hardship, and identified support needs. Findings identified multiple unmet needs existing amongst caregivers and further emphasises the importance of addressing these needs to improve the quality of life of caregivers of children with neurodiverse needs.

Background: Strength-based technology clubs for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have become increasingly popular; however, they remain poorly described in the literature. Before the impact and benefit of strength-based technology clubs can be measured, consistency in their design and delivery must be established. This study aimed to identify the essential components of strength-based technology clubs by exploring context, mechanisms, and outcomes of existing strength-based technology clubs. Method: Twenty-three adolescents with ASD (mean age 12.96 years, SD = 1.86, range = 10–18 years), 25 parents (mean age 46.08 years, SD = 8.27, range = 33–69 years), and 20 facilitators (mean age 27.93 years, SD = 6.55, range = 20–46 years) were purposively sampled from three established strength-based technology clubs. Data were obtained via ethnographic methods, including participant observations, interviews, and focus groups. Data analysis was underpinned by a realist evaluation, which provided the context-mechanism-outcome framework. Results: Data analysis revealed that strength-based technology clubs had four context themes (personal factors of adolescents, personal factors of facilitators, personal factors of parents, institution), three mechanism themes (activity design, strengths and abilities, environment), and three outcome themes (skill building, connection with others, emotion). Conclusion: The results highlighted the importance of understanding the personal context of adolescents, providing an individualized approach, leveraging individual interests, and modifying the environment to suit the individual. The findings contributed to defining a strength-based approach within ASD, and have demonstrated that positive outcomes can be achieved by focusing on strengths rather than deficits. Future ASD services can use the results as a framework for applying a strength-based approach. The efficacy of newly designed strength-based programs can then be tested.